Thalia was fine. She was comfortable actually. In complete darkness, yes. But comfortable. Although, she couldn't imagine who or what would kidnap her at this point. She couldn't move, though. It was like her body was sleeping comfortably while her mind was awake. She wondered how she would get out of this mess. It was a pretty sticky situation. She knew where she was.

"Welcome to the Shades"

Thalia cringed—mentally of course—well that confirms it. And at least she knows she has a captor.

Thalia tried to speak. She couldn't. She could only think. "I can hear your thoughts, though" the dark and deep voice said.

Who are you, Thalia asked in her head. "A consciousness."

Great. Thalia thought. A consciousness in Unconscious Darkness. Unconscious Darkness was another term for the Shades. Why have you kidnapped me?

"I need to make things faster."

At the same time he said this, Thalia felt something corrupting her energies. Fuck. What the hell is this?! Thalia felt a little fear begin to rise.

The voice laughed. "Did you really think you and those two boys could run away from this?" His laughter boomed all around Thalia's head. It made everything disorienting. "It is the dawn of the Sixth Age, little heir. The dawn of your Age."

Nico had gotten back to Camp to do some damage control—he went as part of the Pack. He was barely getting a grip of himself. He left it to Artemis to calm Pisto, Aku and Nyx down before she went to Olympus. The camp was going berserk over the prophecy—a prophecy which Percy needed to here. Speaking of Percy, PERCY JACKSON WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, Nico screamed inside his head. They wouldn't tell Nico what the prophecy was until Ace was here. They were too old to go on quests and handle prophecies.

And besides, the entirety of the pack is spread too thin all over the world. Nico stopped tuning out the meeting. Finally, Percy appeared—aaand, it suddenly became more than a few degrees hotter in the room. Nico curiously looked at Percy, passed through his hood. Man, his eyes were a pure flaming red. Heat was emanating from him. What the hell did he do? Swim in a pit of fire?

This confused everyone in the room as well. Jeez, Nico thought. He wondered what happened. And what Percy was thinking. It was obvious that he was making Mars' and Hestia's powers rabid inside him. He only did that when he wanted to drown out his origin, or he was mad and confused. He's probably all of the above right now, Nico thought.

Percy spoke:

Beyond the place of wrath and tears,

Dawn inevitably approaching.

Dust razed by fear

Birthright to birthright, the Culling

"That's your 'prophecy', right?" Percy asked mockingly, his voice clearly strained. Nico paled.

"How did you—" Chiron asked

"Forget this meeting. It's not a prophecy. It's a signal." Nico spoke up.

Percy nodded. "I'm sorry Chiron, but my Pack are to leave immediately. However we are not going to leave the camp unprotected. Please, understand"

And with that, all the Pack members started randomly erupting in flame.

This left the camp in a whole lot of disarray. Especially when Chiron and the rest of the people who were in the meeting left the room and saw the whole camp.

Automatons everywhere. There was at least a fleet of dragon automatons, and a fleet of airships to be used. There were soldier automatons and giant automatons. The demigods of the present had never seen these kind of stuff considering to them, technology was based on 17th century.

And then. The circumference of the Camp were all covered by undead troops. Out of nowhere, Annabeth appeared. The Immortal Campers cheered and welcomed her, but her expression was as serious as a hunter of Artemis.

"This is from the Pack," she says gravely to Chiron handing out an envelope.

I'm afraid we didn't have much time to explain. But Annabeth will handle the training. We have imparted with her all the things she needs to know in order to train them fully. Please, this is no time to call the Camp a camp anymore. It is now a military base. Give the necklace in this envelope to Dray. It will help him control the Undead Army. Those are 5 cohorts worth of Undead.

-the Pack

Percy was panicking. He needed someone. He needed some kind of pillar. The Concurrence. The Secrets. The new age. Thalia is missing. This isn't happening. Oh gods.

"Calm down," Nico said.

They were in a random woods, in a tent. The founders of the pack were all there-except for Thalia. They weren't exactly the founding members-but they were what Hestia called the Foundation. Hestia has always refused to tell them what were they the Foundation of. Percy always tried to avoid asking that question. Although some of the founders guess that he has an idea of what it is-and so does Thalia and Nico.

"We fucking need to find Thalia," Percy said, almost screamed.

Hestia arrived. Very Pale. As Pale as Hades. "I spoke to the fates," Hestia admitted. Everyone was tense. "It is inevitble," 9-year old form Hestia looked down sadly. Nico's hands were as cold as ice. The founders were confused. What was going on.

"What are you not telling us!" it was the person who seemed to have been leading the secret half of the pack-the one the boys usually referred to as them.

"Patience." Hestia said. "We-Percy, will explain everything soon. For now our priority is Thalia. Thalia has always been the first born. Has always been the catalyst."

V spoke up, "Wait. What did you say, my Lady?"

Hestia hesitated, "Thalia has always been the catalyst."

V questioned with a hint of accusation, "Of what, m'lady?"

Hestia bit her lip. V answered for her, "I think I get it!"

Everyone immediately turned to him. "You're not going to like this, though. Listen. The phrophecy-"

"It wasn't a prophecy. It was the Signal." Nico interrupted. They all looked at him questionally and were starting to get irritated what piece of information they were missing with. Percy signalled for V to go on.

"See. You three" V says looking accusingly again at Percy, Nico and Hestia. "are hiding something about this situation.

Beyond the place of wrath and tears,

Dawn inevitably approaching.

So I thought. Dawn of what? And then you said Thalia is the catalyst-of what? They're the same thing aren't they? The same thing as what your hiding from us" V says

Hestia nodded.

"So. That's why I think Thalia is wherever this Dawn or start of whatever you're hiding from us-Thalia is there. Wherever it's starting. Beyond the place of wrath and tears. That's where she is!" V said triumphantly

*cue in cricket sounds*

"Uh, greeat, V. You figured it out. Now we just have to cry and go beyond it-"

"Fuck you." V said and mumbled something about being the only Athena demigod founder. "Idiot. There was a poem, written by an Athena kid once, William Ernest Henly. He was a famous poet. Invictus, he called it. It wrote: Beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms but the horror of the shade"

They all gasp. Thalia was stuck in the Shades.